


It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

by TWDObsessive



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Falling In Love, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Gift Giving, Happy Ending, M/M, Massage, POV First Person, Pining, Secret Santa, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-21 14:53:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17045774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TWDObsessive/pseuds/TWDObsessive
Summary: Daryl and Rick end up in an abandoned cabin during a snowstorm.  And it might be Christmas!





	It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KatyTheInspiredWorkaholic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatyTheInspiredWorkaholic/gifts).



> Merry Christmas to the wonderful Katytheinspiredworkaholic! I got her name in the Secret Santa drawing and her request was: "Rickyl, canon-verse, happy ending, as for theme options my three choices are unrequited/pining, snowed in, or gift-giving. "
> 
> I tried to include a little of everything, Katy! Hope you enjoy!

It was Christmas. I mean, it could have been. The days were short, the air was cold, and the ground had nearly six inches of snow covering it. But life goes on in the apocalypse. Ain’t got no snow days or no holiday time. Just got another day.

Could’ve been worse, though. Could have been stuck inside the gates doing chores around Alexandria. But instead I was out on the hunt for fresh meat and Rick was with me. He’s been antsy to get outside the gates ever since he and Michonne broke it off. Keeps asking me to bring him next time I’m hunting. And if there’s one constant in my life, it’s doing whatever Rick asks me to.

The snow was getting worse as we tracked a herd of deer and it started snowing so hard that six inches became a foot in near half an hour.

“We better find some shelter,” Rick shouted against the bitter wind. “It’s getting too deep and we’ll never make it back before we lose the light.

“Yeah,” I said. “Follow me.”

I knew where a cozy little cabin was, in fact I been aiming towards it all day just for this possibility. Truth is, I like spending time with Rick. I want to be with him all the time, want to see his eyes and his curls and the bow-legged way he walks. It’s taken me a long time to admit it to myself, but I think I love him. Ain’t never been in love, though, so it’s hard to tell. But I’m guessing if you desperately _crave_ someone’s attention, their conversation, and their most innocent touches, that must mean something.

Rick always seems to come up with ways to touch me — a pat on the back, a hand shake when I come home after runs, a hand on my arm as he’s talking to me, shoulders touching as we sit side by side, and I’m like a damn girl about it, stomach doing flip-flops and shit.

Sometimes I wonder what he’d do if he knew. Would he be disgusted? Complimented? Would he stop those touches and the way he holds eye contact with me like I’m the only person in his world? It’s too much of a risk to confess. I could lose too much. So I keep my secret.

We finally reached the cabin, vision nothing but white, and snow up past our knees. It was cold out and as tough as I like to think I am, even I was shivering. Once we got inside we shook off the snow and headed straight for the wood stove to get a fire going. We worked wordlessly like we often did. I liked that — that way we have of communicating without words. It was intimate in a certain kind of way. It was something that was just ours.

Once a proper fire was going, we pulled the lone couch up to the wood stove and sat down.

“My legs are aching from walking in that damned snow,” Rick said as he peeled off his wet boots.

“You didn’t hafta come,” I told him. “I could have gone on my own.”

“Don’t like you out here in this kind of weather alone. Don’t really like you out here alone at all.”

That’s the thing about Rick. He cares about me like no one ever has before. Merle was probably the only other person that even sort of cared about me and he was an asshole. It was nice having a friend who was always concerned about me.

“I’d have been fine,” I said as we sat tight together on the couch, shoulders and thighs touching.

“I wouldn’t have,” Rick said with a laugh. “Sick of being stuck inside the gates. Good to get out sometimes.” He nudged my shoulder with his. I love when he does that.

Finally, the space in front of the fire got warm enough that we could take off our gloves, hats, and bulky jackets. I pulled out some deer jerky and a canteen of water from my bag and we ate together in silence.

Silence is a funny thing. Usually if I’m around people and no one’s talking, I get nervous, suspicious. But with Rick silence is comfortable, like snuggling under a big fuzzy blanket in the middle of winter.

“Wonder if Christmas already came and went,” I eventually said.

Rick shrugged his shoulders. “Could have. Could be tomorrow. Could be today.” He paused for a moment, deep in thought. “Let’s pretend it’s today.”

I laughed. “So what do we do to celebrate? Go out and build a snowman?”

“Hell no! I’m not going back out in this.”

“I never really had a Christmas so just sitting here in front of the fire is enough for me,” I said.

He looked at me with pity. I hated that, made me feel weak and I wanted to be strong for him. Strong for his family.

“Christmas is more than that,” Rick said gently. “It’s about family, so we got that part covered. You know you’re my brother.”

I nodded. I knew and it was an unspeakable honor to get that from him. 

“It’s about gift giving. Wish I had something for you. We coulda made this your first real Christmas.”

“I don’t need no damn gift,” I said as I rolled my shoulders and stretched.

“That’s it!” Rick said out of nowhere.

“What’s it?”

“You’re shoulders are sore from the crossbow. My gift to you is a massage. Turn around.”

“What?” I gasped, pulling away from him. “I ain’t no frilly woman needs massagin’.”

“No. It’s fantastic. Lori used to massage me back in the day and it was so relaxing,” Rick said as he turned me and put both warm hands on my upper back and started digging his thumbs into my shoulder blades. “Just close your eyes and enjoy it.”

I did what he said, because of course I would. It was Rick, afterall. And he was right. It was exhilarating to have his hands on me, fingers digging into my neck and palms pressing against my sore back, his touch so purposeful that I let out an unplanned groan of pleasure.

“See? Nice, right?”

His touch warmed me and gave me shivers at the same time, my skin tingling as I felt his hands roam over my flannel shirt. God, what I’d give to have him touch me like that skin to skin.

“You’re really tight,” Rick said as he pressed harder and moved down to my lower back.

“Christ,” I groaned before I could stop myself. 

“You can just call me Rick,” he chuckled.

“Feels so good,” I admitted. I hadn’t had anyone’s hands on me like that since...ever and I felt myself relax into his touch.

“Yeah,” he said as he started massaging my tired biceps. This was the best gift I’d ever gotten, not that there was much to compare it to. And the only way I could think to return the kindness was to massage him back. My hands tingled at the mere thought.

When Rick’s hands finally slowed and I heard him sigh behind me I turned around. “Your turn. You ain’t the only one can give out gifts tonight.”

Rick smiled at that. I loved that smile of his, the crinkles in the corners of his eyes and the curve of his lips. He turned immediately, eager for his turn as recipient. My hands were shaking when I first laid them against Rick’s back. I hoped he didn’t notice. Feeling the lines of his muscles gave me a new view of him, so personal and so...mine. He groaned almost instantly, not even trying to keep it quiet. God, did I like the sound of that groan.

“You’re good at this,” he said.

“Never gave one b’fore,” I admitted. 

“Well, you’re doing a damn good job.”

I wondered if Rick would have done this if he’d known about my feelings for him. Having our bodies so close and our words so intimate and personal made me want more. Made me want to tell him and let the chips fall where they may. We’d been through hell together a thousand different times and he’d never turned his back on me. He wouldn’t turn on me now...not for something as innocent as love.

But why was I suddenly so interested in him knowing? Was it because I felt guilty for touching him in such a personal way without confessing how it made me feel? Was it because I foolishly thought the intimacy of the cabin -- the warm fire and firm touches -- might mean he would love me back?

I massaged him for a long time -- far longer than he did me. In fact, if he’d stayed in that position I’d have done it all night -- shoulders, biceps, back and neck. 

At one point he turned back to face me. “Thank you.”

“I can keep going if you want. Is a hand massage a thing?”

He lifted his hand up for me to take it in mine and I used both hands to press and stretch each muscle and joint. Holding his hand was like pretending he was mine.

“Daryl?” Rick asked suddenly.

I didn’t respond with words, but glanced up through my long bangs to meet his questioning blue eyes.

“Why do you always do so much for me? For my family? Our world has gotten so much bigger. You’ve made new friends -- Aaron, Tara, Jesus. You’ve got Carol. But you always stay by my side.”

It was like he wanted to know. And holding his hand in mine was giving me the courage to tell him. We’ve been through worse than a love confession together.

“I think I’m in love with you,” I whispered, focusing on my fingers trailing along his hand. He didn’t pull away, didn’t gasp in horror, in fact he barely moved. 

“Think?” he asked.

“Well, I ain’t never been in love before so I can’t be positive but I’m pretty sure that’s what it is.”

“What would make you 100% sure?” he asked.

I shrugged and looked up at him like a frightened child. Neither of us spoke for untold minutes until suddenly he reached out a hand, cupped it to my cheek. I wrinkled my brow in confusion.

“I guess if you can’t even tell if you’re in love, you can’t tell if someone is in love with you.” He rubbed a thumb along my cheek as he spoke and my stomach went wild, butterflies in flight, the flutter of wings against my rib cage and my nervous stomach. He locked onto my eyes and held my gaze. He looked at me the way I imagine I look at him. 

“Rick, please don’t break my heart on a one-night thing,” I whispered, showing how vulnerable I was to him, like baring my neck to an alpha.

“Wouldn’t ever break your heart, Daryl. You know that. I KNOW you know that.”

I gave him a quick nod and finally he moved his mouth closer and closer to mine. “Maybe this will help you figure out if you love me.”

I felt the breath of his words on my lips, felt his nose slide against mine as he dipped down and captured my lips in his. I was shaking from head to toe. His lips were just as soft as they looked and he tasted like jerky and snowflakes. 

“Don’t be nervous. It’s just me,” he breathed through our kiss. He kissed at my bottom lip and then my top and then slotted his mouth against mine again. I felt like I was in a dream and morning was coming down on me like a freight train. I didn’t want to lose the moment, wanted to live in it forever. Ain’t no place else I’d rather be now than in Rick’s arms. I put my hands to his face and smiled at the feel of his scruffy beard. HIs whiskers tickled me in the best possible way.

When we finally parted for breath, we kept our eyes on one another.

“I love you, Daryl. Been a secret I carried since the prison. Only just recently started working it out in my head that you might feel the same.”

I blinked back tears, not even sure where they were coming from or why. And suddenly I had all the nerve in the world to get what I wanted. I pounced forward like a tiger on the hunt, pressing my lips to his again, this time pushing him back on the couch until I was completely on top of him. I ran my hands up and down his sides and nibbled and kissed at that bottom lip that I loved so much. His body against mine was like a light turned on in the darkness. He was hard and rough, muscular and warm. I felt his hands slide around my waist, heard his whimpers and groans as we moved against one another. I could feel him just as hard in his jeans as I was and without words we both fell into rhythm writhing against each other. Moans, gasps and groans filling the night in our tiny little world, just me and Rick, together.

“Rick,” I panted as I grabbed on to his hips, my forehead against his chin, eyes squeezed shut, an excited feeling in my belly that I couldn’t explain well. It was like the feeling of finally getting everything you ever wanted.

I felt his hands move down to my backside, squeezing and massaging my ass. He held tight to me there as he bucked up against me, pelvis rubbing against pelvis giving off sparks and then flames and finally a full on burst of fire as I lost myself in orgasm. Rick’s shout of “Fuck!” gave his orgasm away and I smiled at the thought of making him come in his own pants. I did that.

He started kissing me again, slower this time like he had all the hours in the world to love on me.

I felt like I was floating, like I was fully sated and happy to land..

Rick reached up and pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped us up. He hugged my head to his chest and played with my hair.

“So how comfortable are you about being public with this?”

“Not very,” I laughed. Still old world thinking like anyone would give a rat’s ass.

“Come on Dixon. In this world no one cares who’s sleeping with who.”

“You want to that bad?” I asked, stunned that he’d want anyone to know.

“Yes. It makes it more real.”

He had a point, I thought. “Can I tell Aaron first?”

He smiled that amazing damn smile. “Sure. Don’t be surprised if he’s not surprised though. I kinda talked to him about this a few months back.

“Why?” I asked, puzzled.

“See if he had that gaydar thing.”

I laughed and it was the freest laugh ever. “So what’d he say?”

“Said he thought I had a chance.”

“And it took you MONTHS to try to make a move? Dick,” I laughed.

“I was nervous,” Rick said shyly. Which was funny cause there ain’t nothing shy about a Grimes.

The thought of Rick being nervous about me was almost too much to wrap my head around so I fell silent, tracing random patterns onto his chest with a finger.

“Merry Christmas, Daryl.”

“Merry Christmas, Rick.”

And we fell asleep together to the soft sound of snow and the crackles from the fire.

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!


End file.
